Chapter 16 – Laying a Foundation, Part II
The next chapter, as promised.
Also, Obi-wan's here, so yay!
Obi-wan Kenobi, Jedi Master and General of the Grand Army of the Republic, was feeling oddly apprehensive.
He did, however, have every reason to feel this way. Just three hours ago, a transmission had been intercepted – one sent by none other than Grievous himself, a cyborg who needed no introduction. What bothered Obi-wan was the fact that the message had been easy to decrypt. Maybe even too easy; it had been no hard task to work out where Grievous and his troops were going to be.
But with that knowledge came other questions – for example, why travel through Republic space? There were plenty of other routes that could be taken and Obi-wan was under no illusion that Grievous did not know that. This move was…reckless, to say the least. Even for someone like Grievous, this was too much. Unless, of course, he had known that his transmission was going to be intercepted and this was instead an ambush that they were about to spring… Obi-wan sighed quietly to himself, resolving to face this unprecedented situation with caution. Because something like this was simply too good to be true.
It wasn't long before the very Dreadnought supposedly carrying Grievous himself dropped out of hyperspace before them. There was a tense moment, during which neither side did anything and Obi-wan half-expected more Separatist ships to drop out beside the first ship.
But it did not come to pass. There were no Destroyers, no escort – nothing besides the one ship.
He was even more surprised when the Dreadnought made no attempt to flee the system, but rather, stayed its position as though goading through its inaction. Obi-wan scrutinized the situation a moment longer before issuing his orders.
"Move into attack positions and open fire when in range," he told the clones in the control pits. "Our aim is to keep that ship here until we can ascertain whether or not Grievous is aboard."
"Yes, Sir!"
"Moving Cruisers into attack positions – ,"
There were other affirmations from the several clones aboard the bridge. But it wasn't long before one of the technicians at the controls let out a warning;
"Enemy fighters inbound!"
True enough, Obi-wan quickly spotted the rapidly-approaching group of Vulture droids that cut across the empty space between the ships and began to rain fire on the Venators' shields. Obi-wan felt the bridge under his feet judder slightly as some shots made it past the shields and found their mark against the hull.
"Sir, the droids are too fast for the batteries," a Sergeant informed him briskly.
Obi-wan nodded, understanding at once what the clone was suggesting.
"Deploy our fighters," the Jedi instructed as a Vulture droid crashed into their ship. "Have you run the scans yet, Gage?"
The question he addressed to a uniform-clad clone manning one of the stations.
"They're finishing up now, Sir!" He responded.
"Is Grievous aboard?"
"Yes, sir – he's on the bridge!" Gage said, looking up sharply at his General.
Obi-wan turned his gaze to the Dreadnought that lurked in the distance, its cannons firing upon all three of his cruisers. He wasn't sure how to feel about the situation. While he was glad the information hadn't been flawed, he still couldn't help but feel uneasy. Surely Grievous was planning something…? A Vulture droid zoomed past the bridge's viewports, followed closely by one of their own fighters, and Obi-wan's eyes narrowed slightly. He made up his mind quickly, though, and turned to another clone.
"Jam their communications – we don't want them calling for any reinforcements just yet," he said.
"Understood, Sir!"
Raising his left arm, Obi-wan activated his comm-link.
"Prepare a shuttle, Cody," he told his Commander, "we're going to be boarding that Dreadnought."
"Copy that, Sir," came the response.
Obi-wan nodded to the officers aboard the bridge, leaving command of the ships in their capable hands. Turning, he strode out, making his way quickly to the main hangar bay, finding a shuttle ready and waiting for him along with Cody and a small squad of his men.
"General," Cody nodded to Obi-wan. "I take it we're boarding this ship for Grievous?"
"Indeed we are, Cody," the Jedi confirmed. "It won't be easy, but we cannot pass up an opportunity such as this."
"If you don't mind me saying, though Sir," Cody said as they boarded the shuttle, the ramp shutting behind them, "this whole situation strikes me as just a little too convenient – what are the odds of this, anyway?"
"I know what you mean, Cody, the thought occurred to me as well." Obi-wan hummed thoughtfully, "But for now, we play Grievous' game. Whatever it may be."
Their shuttle suddenly rattled and shook from the force of a nearby explosion, as cannon-fire from the Dreadnought narrowly missed them.
"We're coming up on the enemy ship!" One of the pilots shouted. "Hold on tight – things are gonna get bumpy!"
The passengers grew tense, expecting a shot to rip through the hull at any moment and suck them into the cold vacuum of space. The two pilots fought to avoid the cannon-fire that grew increasingly as they neared the looming Dreadnought. They were determined to get their passengers – eleven brothers and their General – to and from the enemy ship unharmed. In an attempt to get past the defences, the pilots made the split-second decision to make a fast approach to the Dreadnought's hangar. The shuttle accelerated, streaking forwards and – through a combination of skill and sheer luck on the pilots' end – successfully avoiding stray shots, approached the hangar seemingly on a collision course with it as it loomed before them.
"Brace yourselves!" The co-pilot yelled.
Acting as one, the pilots pulled back on the controls as hard as they could, in an effort to slow down the shuttle before it entered – and subsequently crashed – in the Separatist ship's hangar. The co-pilot hastily deployed the landing gear as they entered the Dreadnought, the gear scraping and sparking across the floor as their momentum sent them skidding forwards and scattering Battle droids before them. With a jolt, the shuttle finally came to a halt and the pilots slumped in their seats, exhausted but triumphant.
"Alright, we're here," Cody addressed the troops as he activated the ramp. "Watch each other's backs out there – we could be out for one heck of a fight."
"Sir, yes sir!" Chorused ten clones in unison.
While disembarking, it was Obi-wan and Cody who took point. Their small squad fanned out behind them, providing cover fire where necessary. There were a few surviving Battle droids that attempted to stop them, but these were easily taken care of.
Turning down a corridor, they ran to the Bridge, aiming to get there as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a squadron of Super Battle droids blocked their path when they were little more than halfway through. But Obi-wan noticed that it didn't seem as though the droids had been waiting for them there – on the contrary, the Jedi and clones seemed to have taken them by surprise. So it was the clones of the 212th that opened fire first, even as they took cover as best they could in the corridor. Obi-wan, however, remained in the middle of the corridor where he could wield his lightsaber with maximum efficiency, deflecting blasts that came his way.
As soon as he spotted an opening, Obi-wan leapt forwards, his lightsaber spinning as he cut down droids at close range. At last, he paused behind the squad of droids and deactivated his lightsaber, the last few droids growing still and falling apart at that moment. Turning back to check on his men, Obi-wan met Cody's visored gaze. In response to his General's unanswered question, the clone commander shook his head: no casualties.
The group set forwards once more, eager to find General Grievous.
Finally, and without further incident, they reach the Dreadnought's bridge. The fact that they had not run into anymore patrols concerned Obi-wan. Surely, the bridge crew – even Grievous – had already made note of the Republic troops aboard their ship. Why then, had no droids been dispatched to stop them? So upon reaching the doors to the bridge, Obi-wan activated his lightsaber before they'd even slid open fully. However, it seemed that he wasn't the only one who was on edge – for no sooner than the doors opened, had eleven blasters been raised, anticipating enemy fire and ready to return it in full force.
But none came.
Instead, the group found themselves on a bridge devoid of any and all activity; whose sole occupants seemed to be none other than themselves. The lights were turned off, but enough illumination was provided by the still-ongoing battle to see by. And it in turn, revealed that there wasn't a single Battle droid in sight.
"Where…is everybody?" One clone voiced what they were all thinking.
An uncomfortable shiver ran up Obi-wan's back. He angled his lightsaber to provide a little more lighting, looking around the bridge and reaching out with the Force, attempting to sense Grievous. He had taken a few steps forward, towards the chair meant for an officer when the Force alerted him to a sudden threat.
Obi-wan dodged as six Commando droids appeared out of their hiding places, white photoreceptors flashing in the semi-darkness of the bridge. They acted near instantly, blasters already in hand as they unleashed a salvo of blaster-fire at the Republic troops.
"Take cover!" Cody ordered as Obi-wan deflected some blasts.
But the warning came too late and two clones went down even as the others scattered behind cover, scorched holes in their chestplates. Gritting his teeth, Obi-wan ducked below the edge of a vibrosword that was aimed at his head and sliced the droid wielding it in two. A second Commando droid went down from a well-placed shot to the back of its head. While two more droids remained to distract Obi-wan, the other two slipped past him, making their way towards the clones. Deflecting blasts, the Jedi need to turn around to know that the droids were getting closer to his men. One of the droids was knocked over by a shot deflected into its chest, leaving only one still facing Obi-wan. Using the Force, he pulled the Commando droid towards him and decapitated it before spinning around to face the clones. Extending a hand, he called upon the Force once more, this time using it to halt the droids in their tracks and make them easy targets. But no sooner had they gone down, when one of the clones suddenly called out:
"Look out, Sir!"
Eyes widening, Obi-wan rolled under a blast that had been meant for him, coming up again with his lightsaber in hand to see a droid armed with a vibrosword bearing down on him. But before he could do anything, a blast struck it squarely in the center of its head. The light of its photoreceptors flickered before winking out and the droid keeled over. Looking over his shoulder, Obi-wan was unsurprised to find it was Cody who had fired the last shot. Nodding his thanks, he returned his attention to the rest of bridge.
"Good shot, sir," one clone said in awe
And despite what had just happened, Obi-wan allowed himself a small smile while his back was turned to the men. He scoured the rest of the bridge from where he stood, but the cloying darkness wasn't doing him any favours.
"There isn't anything here, sir," Cody voiced what Obi-wan was thinking, "not even a Tactical droid. Are you sure the head clanker's even aboard?"
"I know he is," Obi-wan answered, glancing through the transparisteel panes.
He could see that the battle was almost won. There were only a few more Vulture droids that needed to still be brought down, and he knew that would not take too long. He turned around to address the clones.
"We'll conduct a sweep of the rest of the ship," the Jedi told them, "and see if we can't find where Grievous is hiding."
Cody nodded his understanding.
"I'll take some of the boys to the engine rooms and the rest can check the brig."
"And I'll finish up here." Obi-wan concluded. "If all goes well, we'll meet back at the shuttle."
"Yes, sir."
Signalling to the rest of the men, Cody and the remaining troopers began to file out with the Commander bringing up the rear. But before he stepped out, Obi-wan called out to him:
"And Cody?"
"Sir?" He turned around.
"If you do find Grievous…"
"I know, sir," there was a steady resolve in his voice, "we'll try to delay him if we can, but we won't engage him directly."
"Good. Be on guard, Cody. There's something strange going on."
And soon, the bridge was empty save for the singular Jedi Master. Obi-wan wasted no time, making his way into the lower control decks, looking for anything that might tell him what was going on. Because he was certain that something was – there was a strange sense of anticipation in the Force that was setting the Jedi on edge ever-so-slightly. He was certain that something was going to happen, and he was certain that whatever it was going to be, it would be centered here in the bridge. It was fortunate then, that Cody and his men had left. Igniting his lightsaber, Obi-wan held it up, his gaze passing over the controls that should have been manned by Battle droids. But where were they? And surely those Commando droids must have been here to protect something?
He stumbled suddenly as his foot caught against something.
Bringing his lightsaber lower, his eyes widened. Because lying on the ground, hidden in the shadows and only now revealed, were the remains of a destroyed Battle droid. He moved forward, keeping his lightsaber low and quickly reached the conclusion that every single droid operating the bridge had been destroyed. But…why? And who had done this?
At that moment, something made Obi-wan halt in his tracks.
And slowly, ever so slowly, he looked up.
He stared up at the shadows wreathing the ceiling. There was nothing more to be seen besides that… Or was there? He inhaled sharply at the sight of two glowing yellow eyes watching him out of the gloom. A well-timed explosion beyond the viewing panes suddenly threw a flash of light along the ceiling and an all-too familiar form was suddenly silhouetted against it.
So Grievous had been here all along – and he still was – watching Obi-wan.
An involuntary shiver ran up Obi-wan's back at the sight, though he did not outwardly show the shock he felt. He realized then, that for more than a little while, he would have been standing directly beneath where Grievous was hiding. The cyborg could easily have dropped down, taking both Obi-wan and the clones by surprise, quite possibly even earning himself a victory in doing so. The Jedi highly doubted that Grievous would not have realized this, too. Why, then, had he held himself back?
And even now, Grievous knew he had been spotted. Yet he remained up there for a few moments longer, as if giving Obi-wan the time to reach his conclusions. But he chose then to release his grip on the ceiling and landed in a crouch not far from the doors to the bridge. Not wanting to be at the disadvantage of having the low ground, Obi-wan leapt up to join him, landing a bit of a distance from Grievous. The cyborg General seemed unfazed, though, instead eyeing him with what could only have been satisfaction in his eyes.
"I knew you would come, Kenobi," Grievous chuckled hoarsely. "Just the Jedi I wanted to see."
Smiling cordially, Obi-wan took up a fighting stance.
"You know me, General," he responded, "I try not to disappoint."
"Indeed," the corners of Grievous' eyes narrowed in a smile. "And you have far exceeded my expectations on many occasions."
"I do my best," was his modest reply.
With a final snort of amusement, Grievous unclipped two lightsabers from his hip and activated them, taking up stance to oppose Obi-wan's. For a moment, the two eyed one other, wordlessly daring the other to be the one to make the first move. When neither did, they lunged forward simultaneously and their blades met as they immediately began to trade blows. Their attacks were fast, almost blindingly so, with Obi-wan staying on the defensive as he deflected Grievous' twin blades.
Obi-wan was forced back by the onslaught until he found his back against the commander's seat. He back-flipped over it, and at the same time found himself dodging a slash that cut through the back. Landing lightly on his feet beyond it, Obi-wan readied himself as Grievous leapt over, apparently satisfied with using only two lightsabers for this fight. As soon as he landed in front of the Jedi, Grievous lashed out and the three lightsaber blades locked. For a few moments, they both pushed against the other, keeping the blades from being forced into their own faces. But with a sudden, unexpected clicking sound, Grievous' right arm split in two and the lower one grabbed hold of Obi-wan by his throat and threw him to the floor.
The Jedi grunted as he hit the floor of the bridge and slid a few feet, the breath driven out of his lungs. But before he could get to his feet, a sudden warning of danger through the Force made Obi-wan roll aside scarce seconds before Grievous' lightsabers came crashing down where he'd been lying. Had he been any slower, Obi-wan would have suffered much worse than some light bruising. As it was, the blades cut into a control panel and sparks flew, distracting Grievous for just long enough for Obi-wan to jump to his feet and reactivate his lightsaber. He lunged forward, aiming to cut off Grievous' left arm while he had an opening, but the General reacted in a flash, expertly twisting a blade into the path of Obi-wan's before the two pushed one another back.
"Surrender, General," Obi-wan told him, not for the first time.
"Surrender?" He intoned, mock horror in his voice. "So that the Republic can lock me away? I think you and I both know the answer to that, Kenobi."
"Surely such a thing would be better than being Dooku's slave?" Obi-wan countered.
The two of them were slowly circling one another, but neither made a move to attack the other.
"Do not speak so lightly of such serious matters, Kenobi," the cyborg growled in warning, "But I do consider myself fortunate enough to be aware of the role I am expected to play. What of you, Kenobi? Are you aware of yours?"
Obi-wan said nothing in reply, merely tightening his grip on his lightsaber's hilt.
He knew that Grievous was of course referring to the war and to the Jedi's involvement in it. But at the same time, the way he was talking about it seemed…oddly out of character for the cyborg. And he never spent this long simply trading words with Obi-wan – not unless they were insults or simple claims of how he was superior to the Jedi and would destroy them all. Usually, Grievous never spoke to the Jedi with anything other than scorn and loathing in his voice. But now, there was something undeniably different about him – something more than a simple change in the tone of his voice.
"Of course I'm aware," Obi-wan responded with a slight frown. "I am a Jedi and therefore, a peacekeeper of the Galaxy. The very peace the Separatists threaten."
"Then you are even more foolish than I realised if you believe that drivel spouted by the Senate," Grievous spat venomously. "The Jedi are not peacekeepers. They have not been so for a long time."
"You don't know what you're talking about." Obi-wan countered firmly. Certainly, it was not the first time he had heard such sentiment, but to hear them from Grievous himself? Well, now that could be a cause for concern.
"Don't I?" The cyborg chuckled darkly, his eyes boring into Obi-wan's. "Very well, then," his voice was suddenly lighter, but still with a dangerous edge, "if the Jedi are truly who they claim to be, then why did they turn their backs on my people in their time of need?"
Obi-wan didn't know how to answer that. He knew that Grievous was Kaleesh, but beyond the good General himself, Obi-wan knew little of the species as a whole. Much less of what Grievous was referring to. But even so, the faint sense of unease made itself known to him. Something about what Grievous was talking about was important – it was clearly of great significance to the cyborg – but without even knowing what it was he was referring to, Obi-wan could do little more than guess. But apparently, his silence spoke volumes to the General, for he laughed mirthlessly after the brief pause.
"So it seems you have not heard of the plight of Kalee," he said with a slight tilt of his head. "Yet somehow, it does not surprise me that you find yourself in the dark, Kenobi, like so many others. But I'm sure there would be records of it – so check your precious archives, Kenobi. See for yourself what the Republic you protect did to my people."
To say that Obi-wan was perplexed was an understatement.
The way Grievous was speaking to him, he sounded like a completely different person altogether. The sudden change in his attitude was mildly unsettling, but Obi-wan did not outwardly react to it. But, preoccupied by his thoughts, he missed the moment when Grievous abruptly halted his circling, eyeing the Jedi for a scant second before charging him abruptly. Obi-wan barely had time to raise his lightsaber to deflect an incoming blow from the cyborg, but at the last second, he unexpectedly whirled around and lashed out with one foot, catching Obi-wan in the side and throwing him aside. Tumbling aside, Obi-wan struggled to get up.
And as he did, the sight before him made his blood run cold.
For it seemed that as he had fallen, he had dropped his lightsaber. And his lightsaber was now in Grievous' hand.
For his part, though, the cyborg General all but ignored the fallen Jedi, his attention instead fixed on the lightsaber he had in his grip. Grievous turned it over, apparently admiring it for a few moments and then, as though he could sense Obi-wan's gaze on him, he turned to face him. There was triumph in his slit-pupiled eyes as he regarded the Jedi. He tilted his head in a movement that was almost contemplative and Obi-wan found himself surprised that Grievous had yet again not taken the chance to finish him off. But even as these thoughts crossed Obi-wan's mind, he seized the opportunity to act while Grievous did not.
Obi-wan thrust his hands out, throwing Grievous back with the Force. Even as the General was crashing into the control panels behind him, Obi-wan had already recalled his lightsaber to his own hands. But Grievous was back on his feet soon after, snarling with annoyance. Now that the two of them were back on their feet once again, they sized up one another.
"You had better tell your clones to leave while they still can, Kenobi," Grievous growled, his words surprising Obi-wan. "It would be unfortunate if such brave soldiers were to die here."
"What are you getting at, General?" Obi-wan asked, his brow furrowed.
"I have had charges placed in the engines," was his cool response, "and they could go off at any moment. So what will you do, Kenobi? Will you remain here and attempt to bring me in? Or will you send your men out of harm's way?"
Obi-wan hesitated, while Grievous seemed amused by the Jedi's indecision. But still, he looked at the General with disbelief. While it was true that the Separatist General would stoop to such feats, Obi-wan was disconcerted that he had even chosen to inform him of this plan. What game could he be playing? Grievous reactivated his two lightsabers, his yellow eyes observing the Jedi intently, waiting to see what he would do. Obi-wan took a step back, nearer to the main doors that lead out of the bridge. In response, Grievous took a single step nearer, maintaining the distance between them.
Again Obi-wan stepped back, and again Grievous followed.
A moment passed during which neither of them moved.
But then, without warning, Grievous threw a lightsaber at Obi-wan who abruptly flipped over it, landing closer to the doors and dashing through them. Yet he couldn't help but feel as though the thrown lightsaber would not have stuck him; it was almost as if Grievous had been trying to miss on purpose. Deciding that he would have plenty of time to think about it later, Obi-wan used the Force to shut the doors to the bridge, cutting off Grievous and delaying him for even a little while. He didn't waste any more time, turning and running back the way he and the clones had come earlier, activating his commlink as he ran.
"Cody – Cody, come in," Obi-wan speaks into it urgently.
For a few, agonizing moments, there was no response. But then, there is a brief hiss of static.
"General Kenobi," said a familiar voice, "I read you. Is something going on?"
"Cody, get everyone to the hangar now!" Obi-wan exclaimed. "There are charges planted in the engines – we have to leave before we're all blown up!"
"Don't worry, Sir, we'll be at the shuttle – "
"Clankers!" A voice yelled out on Cody's end. "Look out, they're comin' in!"
"Cody, what's happening?" Obi-wan asked, almost coming to a halt.
"Droids!" Cody grunted. "It's an ambush!"
"How many?!"
"Can't tell, I – Neo, get down!"
The audio abruptly cut out, replaced by the hiss of static.
Fearing the worst, Obi-wan broke into a run once more, doubling his efforts to reach the Dreadnought's engines. At the same time, he tried – and failed – to get in touch with the other half of the squad that had been sent to the brig. He could only pray that they were alright. Recognising the corridor he was headed down, Obi-wan realized he wasn't far from the engines now – just one last turn up ahead and – –
Cody and his men rounded the corner Obi-wan had been headed towards, both parties surprised to see the other.
"General?! Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?" Cody was the first to speak.
"Well, I was on my way to help, but it seems it won't be needed," he answered. "Have you been able to get through to the others?"
"I did," Cody said, starting forwards and prompting his men to fall in behind him, "they said they're on their way to the hangar. We'd best catch up with them."
"Good – now let's hurry! There's no time to waste!"
It wasn't long before they burst into the hangar bay, and it wasn't a moment too soon – for just before they'd emerged into the hangar, an explosion had shook the walls of the ship and Obi-wan feared the worst. The clones from the second group were already there, outside the shuttle and ready to cover the others if necessary. Upon seeing the fast-approaching Jedi and clones, one of them waved, clearly elated to see them.
Obi-wan paused at the edge of the ramp, allowing the clones to board before him while he scanned the hangar for any unwelcome activity. Yet no droids showed up to stop them, even when the Dreadnought began to fall apart around them. Once all the clones were aboard, Obi-wan finally turned his back on the Separatist hangar and entered the shuttle, the ramp closing behind him.
The remainder of the boarding party made themselves comfortable for the short trip back to the Cruisers while Obi-wan moved past them to the cockpit. He entered it just in time to witness a fighter zoom past the shuttle, one that was unmistakable in its design. For it was none other than Grievous' personal craft – The Soulless One. Obi-wan's eyes narrowed fractionally as it passed them by, for a moment it paused and the Jedi could almost imagine Grievous watching the shuttle for a moment. And then, before any of their fighters had the chance to pursue it, the craft had jumped into hyperspace.
As it did, Obi-wan suppressed a sigh.
Once again, Grievous had slipped through the Republic's grasp. The only difference this time being that it had been Obi-wan who had been forced to flee their battle first; not the General.
Another opportunity – wasted.
Obi-wan wondered what the Council would have to say about this.
And that's a wrap for this chapter.
Granted, there is more to come but I really had to stop here or else I would have been going on for quite some time. As I've said before! – I do have plans for making each chapter longer as things progress, so you can bet that Chapter 20 is gonna be at least 5k words. Keep in mind, though, that this most likely means that the wait in between chapters maaay get longer. With any luck, though, not as long as the eight-to-nine months between Chapters 14 and 15. That was, eh, due to unavoidable circumstances.
Although, just a quick heads-up that updates might get a little sporadic on account of job-hunting. Because yes, I need a real job that pays real money :(
For now, though, enough of my rambling. Thanks for reading and, as always, leave a comment if you like! Really love to hear from my readers, you guys are the absolute best!
Bye for now, and hopefully I'll see you in the next chapter!
Until next time, Paladin_Stormwind, out!